Real dream team grab gold
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ByEurosport
Published 28/08/2004 at 12:54 GMT
The United States have won the women's Olympic basketball tournament after a 74-63 win over Australia in the final on Saturday. Just two points up after three quarters, the USA showed tremendous poise pressure to go on a late scoring spree, blowing their
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The USA retained their title with a defensive rigour and sang froid absent from their male counterparts, as star names Tina Thompson, Lisa Leslie and Dawn Staley all turned in excellent performances.
The score was tied at 50-50 in the final seconds of the third quarter, but Shannon Johnson sparked an 11-1 run to give the U.S. a lead they never relinquished.
Los Angeles Sparks centre Leslie owned the boards with eight rebounds, adding two blocks and 13 points to a superb all-around display.
Team captain Staley endured a difficult first half, but exploded as the game neared its climax. The 1.65m guard made light of her diminutive stature, charging into the paint on several occasions on her way to fifteen points.
Australia ran into foul trouble late on as they tried to claw their way back into contention. Offensive standouts Kristi Harrower and Penny Taylor both collected four fouls, and played only a limited role down the stretch.
Power forward Lauren Taylor, who averaged 24.4 points in her first seven matches, netted just 12 against an attentive US defence, and proved unable to live up to her billing as the world's best player.
BRONZE MEDAL MATCH: RUSSIA 71-62 BRAZIL
Earlier, excellent team defence allowed Russia to overcome wayward shooting and claim the bronze medal, 71-62 over Brazil.
Despite hitting just 25 of their 73 shots from the field Russia's stingy defence and dominant rebounding allowed them to overcome their wonky radar.
Twenty offensive rebounds, led by six from forward Irina Osipova, meant a constant flow of second chance points that kept Russia in the game until they broke clear in the fourth quarter.
Fearsome perimeter defence denied Brazil open looks from beyond the arc, while the towering 2.14m Maria Stepanova proved a formidable obstacle inside the key. The normally free-scoring South Americans were limited to just 42 points in the final three quarters.
While their shooting proved largely wayward, Russia kept their opponents guessing by sharing the offensive burden; eleven of their twelve squad members got on the scoresheet, Diana Gustilina topping the charts with a modest 12 points.
Jubilant celebrations greeted the final buzzer as the previously unfancied Russians claimed the medal their spirited play so richly merited.
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